A new Early–Middle Weichselian palaeoenvironmental record from a lacustrine sequence at Svirkanciai, Lithuania

Abstract

The Middle Weichselian (OIS 4‐3) and the transition from Early to Middle Weichselian are the most problematic and disputed time intervals of the Late Pleistocene with regard to the palaeogeography of the Fennoscandian glaciations. The number of sites with sediments of Middle Weichselian age in the Baltic region is very limited. An extensive area (77 km2) of lacustrine sediments (sand, clay, silt with humus and interlayers of peat), under the relief‐forming Upper Weichselian till, was discovered in the vicinity of the Venta settlement, northwestern Lithuania, and named the Venta Palaeolacustrine Basin. The Svirkanciai outcrop (56°18′05″N, 22°53′00″E) (15 m in height) of this palaeobasin is composed of two sediment complexes of different genesis and age. The lower part consists of silt and very fine‐grained sand of lacustrine origin. According to palynological data, the lacustrine sediments accumulated under boreo‐arctic climatic conditions. The pollen records suggest that local vegetation was sparse forest with open areas. An Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) date of the lacustrine sand yielded an age of >79±6 ka, which indicates that lacustrine conditions may have occurred during part of the Early Weichselian Odderade Interstadial (Jonionys 2). However, the palynological data from Svirkanciai suggest a Middle Weichselian age, possibly correlating with the Oerel Interstadial (Jonionys 3) 55 ka ago. No traces of early Middle Weichselian Schalkholz (Nemunas 2a) stadial glacial advance have been found in the Venta sections. This also suggests a Middle Weichselian age for the Svirkanciai lacustrine sediments.

Palaeolithic occupation of the Anatolian High Plateau during a cold period: An MIS 6 aged artifact from the Avlamış Valley, Eskişehir, NW Turkey

“…Chenopodiceae, verified the cold and arid climatic conditions at that time (Liu, Zhang, Jiao, & Mischeke, 2016;Out, and Verhoeven, 2014;Satkunas, Grigiene, Buynevich, & Taminskas, 2013).…”

“…Open vegetation elements Artemisia (mugworts) and Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family) were relatively highly represented in the herb pollen (20–40%) as well (Figure A and B). The Sporomorph assemblage, including open vegetation elements, such as Artemisia and Chenopodiceae, verified the cold and arid climatic conditions at that time (Liu, Zhang, Jiao, & Mischeke, ; Out, and Verhoeven, ; Satkunas, Grigiene, Buynevich, & Taminskas, ).…”

Quantitative reconstruction of climate variability during the Eemian (Merkinė) and Weichselian (Nemunas) in Lithuania

“…This presumption is also consistent with recent data from the Netiesos section in southern Lithuania (Baltrūnas et al, 2013) indicating the warm character of MIS 5d. The newly studied section in northern Lithuania shows that this region was ice-free at least from 55 to 33 ka (Satkūnas et al, 2013). There is also evidence of a warmer-than-present climate during the Brørup interstadial obtained by plant macrofossils studies from the Sokli sediment sequence in Finnish Lapland (Valiranta et al, 2009), showing the July temperatures at least 3°C higher than at present, and from northern Russia (Henriksen et al, 2008) where the Odderade interstadial appears to be as warm as an interglacial.…”

New 14C data of megafaunal remains from Lithuania – implications for the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of the Middle Weichselian

“…The pub lished data en able a brief over view (Ta ble 3). Ex ist ing biostratigraphical re cords (KondratienÅ, 1996;Satkñnas et al, 2013) sug gest the flour ish ing of sparse bo real for est with pine-spruce-birch dur ing the Jonionys 2 Interstadial, and this has been ten ta tively cor re lated with Odderade Interstadial (74-85 cal kyr BP, sensu Behre, 1989), i.e. the time-inter val pre ced ing the Mid dle Weichselian (Ta ble 3).…”

“…Pol len and plant macrofossils are the prin ci pal sources for dis cus sion of the palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic dy - Gaigalas and Hütt (1996) Svirkanèiai, NW Lith u a nia 55-33 Satkñnas et al (2013) nam ics of the Late Pleis to cene in the area (KondratienÅ, 1996;Satkñnas et al, 1998Satkñnas et al, , 2003Satkñnas et al, , 2009Satkñnas et al, , 2013Satkñnas and Gri gienÅ, 2012). The pub lished data en able a brief over view (Ta ble 3).…”